Electric train lighting and braking system



(No Model.)

G. W. .SWARTZ.

ELECTRIC TRAIN LIGHTING AND BRAKING SYSTEM; o. 517,498.

Patented Apr. 3, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SWARTZ, OF FLORENCE, ALABAMA.

I ELECTRIC TRAIN LIGHTING AND BRAKING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,498, dated April 3,1894.

Application filed September 1,1893- Serial No. 484,585. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SWARTZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Florence, inthe county of Lauderdale, State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Train Lightingand Braking Systems, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devicesfor lighting and stopping trains by electricity, and it has for itsobjects among others to provide simple and efficient means, applicableto any and all styles of cars, whereby electricity is collected andstored, and the current maintained at a standard so that as the speed ofthe train is decreased or the train comes to a standstill, the lightswill remain as bright as when the train is traveling at its greatestrate of speed.

I place a generator in the front part of the train, as for instance,inthe baggage car, where it is arranged to be driven from the axle ofthe car on which there is an adj ustable disk which is engaged by afriction pulley (preferably of rubber) on the armature shaft and isrendered adjustable for a purpose which will soon appear. The speed ofthe armature of the generator is automatically regulated by means of amagnet connected with a lever that clutches the rubber friction pulleyon the armature shaft so that when the current becomes above standard apart of the current shunts through the magnet and attracts the armatureof the magnet up and causes the rubber friction pulley or disk to bemoved toward the smaller part of the driving disk on the axle and thespeed of the armature shaft is lessened by reason of its position on thedisk; when the train slows up and the current gets below standard thearmature of the magnet will drop and cause the disk to move back towardthe outer edge of the driving disk and thereby increase the speed of thearmature. Under the car I place storage batteries connected with thegenerator by suitable wires, said batteries being connected in seriesand wired back to the engine and arranged so that when the engineerturns a switch on a certain contact point the current will flow from themain'circuit of the generator around suitable magnets located on thetrucks of the cars and to the armatures of which are connected rodswhich are connected with brake shoes by means of pivotal connections sothat the attraction of the armatures of the said magnets will cause thebrakes to be applied.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appearand the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by theappended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, form apart of this specification, and in which-- Figure l is a diagrammaticview showing my invention and the various circuits. Fig. 2 is a top planof the generator and its friction pulley or disk and the driving disk onthe axle. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation showing the brakemechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail of the switch.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates theframe of the truck, B the axles, and A the Wheels, all of known orapproved construction. On the front axle is a friction driving disk orwheel (J which is mounted thereon to rotate therewith and yet capable oflongitudinal adjustment when desiredg'this movement lengthwise of theaxle is accomplished by means of a pivoted lever C carrying a clutchengaging the hub of the disk as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 and the leverbeing extended upward to Within convenient reach from the interior ofthe car.

D is a generator of any approved construction suitably supportedpreferably Within the baggage car and D is the armature shaft upon whichis mounted to rotate therewith a friction pulley, disk or wheel D(preferably of rubber) which is also capable of movement lengthwise ofthe shaft the hub thereof being provided with an annular groove d asseen best in Fig. 2 to receive a clutch connected with a lever formoving it along the shaft for a purpose which will hereinafter be madeapparent At any convenient point or points along the under side of thecar I arrange storage batteries E of any known form and which areconnected with the generator wires, said batteries being connected inseries and wired back to the engine as shown in Fig. 1 and so connectedand arranged that by the movement of a switch on the engine the currentwill flow from the'main circuit of the generator around suitable magnetslocated on the truck and adapted to operate the brakes. These magnets Fare suitably supported and their armature F each has connected therewitha vertical rod f which is mounted to slide freely through a suitableguide on the frame of the truck and has pivotally connected to its lowerend as at f the rods f which in turn are pivoted to the brake shoes F asseen best in Fig. 3, the shoes being loosely suspended from the frame ofthe truck by the links f as is also best shown in said Fig. 3. Theseshoes are arranged between the wheels so that when the current isSwitched around the brake magnets the armatures thereof will beattracted and the shoes brought into engagement with the wheels; as soonas the switch is moved so as to stop the flow of the current around themagnets demagnetism sets in and the armature falls away from the magnetsand the brakes are released.

The storage batteries are employed for the purpose of supplying currentto furnish lights for the train when at a standstill, and to maintainthe current as the train slows up coming into stations and at such timesas the speed of the train becomes so slow that the generator will notgenerate a sufficient current to actuate the brake magnets and continuethe lights, then the stored energy from the storage batteries comes intoplay and furnishes the necessary current for the purpose. The rod f isscrew-threaded as seen in Fig. 3 and nuts f are provided for the purposeof adjusting the armature to cause it to act more or less readily as maybe desired.

G is the switch; it is located on the locomotive in close proximity tothe hand of the engineer, and on said switch there should be as manycontact points as there are trucks on the trains, there being preferablyone over each pair of trucks; these contact points are numbered, and themovable contact 11 carries the metallic quadrant H and has a handle IIby which it is moved as desired; to one end of this pivoted contactplate is connected the positive wire h from the generator which circuitis connected with the 0 contact plate, and leads back to the storagebattery or batteries and is connected to the positive terminal thereof,the battery cells being connected in series and the main circuitconnected to the negative terminal of the cells where it comes from saidcells; the number of cells employed will be determined by the voltage ofthe generator, which will be preftain the electro motive force of onehundred and ten volts at such times as the train is stopped or thegenerator is not furnishing current. The contact points of the switchare insulated from each other in any suitable way and the brake circuit9 is wired to these contact points, there being two wires to eachcontact point. From the contact point No. 1 of the switch there is abrake circuit 1 which runs to the brake magnet Fand from thence andconnects with the negative terminal of the lamp circuit 8; there is alsoa wire 1 connected with the contact point 1 of the switch and running tobrake magnet F and around the coils of the solenoid and connects to thenegative terminal of the lamp circuit. The contact point or plate 2 ofthe switch is wired by wires 2 and 2 in a similar manner to the brakemagnets F and F all as shown in Fig. 1, said magnets being located onthe next pair of trucks as shown. Each contact point is connected in asimilar manner with the other brake magnets; if there are more trucksthere should be more contact points. Ihave shown two more with theirwires 3 and 3 and land 4, this being deemed sufficient for the properunderstanding of the invention.

iVith the parts constructed and arranged substantially as above setforth the operation will be as follows;-tl1e revolution of the axle willgenerate the electricity as will be readily understood; it will also bereadily comprehended how the disks are moved back and forth on theirshafts for the purpose hereinbefore set forth. As the train is requiredto slow up the engineer moves the contact plate H on the contact point1; the brake magnets F and F are thus energized and the brakes applied,said magnets being brought into circuit, and when the movable contact ismoved onto the contact point 2 the magnets F and F are energized andtheir brakes applied. So on throughout the whole train if necessary. Nowshould the movable contact plate be moved on the 0 contact point whichis connected only with the lamp circuit 8 as seen in Fig. 1, the brakecircuit will be cut out and the armatures of the brake magnets, beingnolonger attracted, fall and the brakes are released. The lamp circuit 8is arranged so that there is a main positive wire from the contact plate11 which is connected to the positive pole of the generator and thencethrough the cars or whole train, and from the negative terminal acircuit runs back through the cars, as seen in Fig. 1; the current forthe lamps is taken from the positive circuit, carried through the lampsand to the negative or return circuit.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

\Vhat I claim as new is-- 1. The combination with a generator andcooperating means including an adj ustable rubber friction disk orpulley on the car axle, of brake magnets and their brakes, a switch, an

electric light circuit, a storage battery in the light circuit andconnections between the generator, switch and light circuit and brakemagnets, as set forth. u

2. The combination with the axle and th driving disk adjustably mountedthereon, of the generator having a shaft provided with an adjustablerubber friction disk orpulley, and storage batteries in circuit to becharged from said generator to maintain the light current while thetrain is not in motion, as set forth.

3. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination with one ormore brake circuits connected in multiple with a lamp circuit andstorage battery of a sufficient number of cells to bring the voltage tothe same potential as the generator, shunt circuits between the brakeand lamp circuits a lamp circuit and a brake circuit and both circuitsin multiple series for the purpose of lighting 2d GEORGE \V. SWARTZ.

Witnesses:

WM. S. HULL, A. G. NEGLEY.

